Voice recognition for patient care environment

ABSTRACT

A location monitoring system tracks a location of a user within a healthcare facility. When the user is detected in a patient room an electronic controller activates a voice command database having a plurality of voice commands specific to the user. A microphone located in the patient room receives one of the plurality of voice commands. The electronic controller transmits the one of the plurality of voice commands to a remote device positioned outside of the patient room.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/691,018, filed Jun. 28, 2018,which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to voice recognition systems used inhealthcare facilities to provide attention to patient needs.

Patients in healthcare facilities generally require assistance while inthe patient room. Nurse call buttons are typically available to thepatient, but are non-specific to the patient's needs. That is,activating a nurse call button does not specify the patient's condition.A caregiver must first enter the patient room to inquire about thepatient's needs, e.g. the patient may need ice chips. Assistance to thepatient would be more efficient if the caregiver was familiar with thepatient's condition prior to entering the patient room.

Additionally, caregivers in the patient room may request assistance,e.g. the caregiver may need assistance administering medication. Atypical call signal does not specify to the other caregivers whatassistance is required. Accordingly, care for the patient can beimproved by including more specific instructions to the othercaregivers, e.g. the nurse's station.

Voice assistance is one technology that may be utilized to addressspecific needs of a patient. However, patient's need not have access toall voice commands. For example, because medications are controlledsubstances, a patient should not have access to a voice command toadminister medication. Additionally, voice commands to control atelevision in the patient room may be unnecessary for a caregiver. Assuch, a need remains for controlled access to various voice commands ina healthcare facility.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure includes one or more of the features recited inthe appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in anycombination, may comprise patentable subject matter.

According to the present disclosure, a method of providing communicationin a healthcare facility may include determining with a location devicewhether a person is in a patient room. The method may also includeactivating a voice command database having a plurality of voice commandsspecific to the person in the patient room. The method may also includereceiving one of the plurality of voice commands at an electronic devicelocated in the patient room. The method may also include transmittingthe one of the plurality of voice commands to a remote device positionedoutside of the patient room.

In some embodiments, the person in the patient room may be a caregiver,and the method may include activating a voice command database includesactivating a voice command database having a plurality of voice commandsspecific to the caregiver. The person in the patient room may be apatient, and the method may include activating a voice command databaseincludes activating a voice command database having a plurality of voicecommands specific to the patient.

If desired, the method may include monitoring vital signs of a patientin the patient room. The method may also include transmitting a warningnotification to a caregiver when it is determined that a caregiver is inthe patient room.

It is contemplated by this disclosure that the method may includetracking the voice command transmitted to the remote device, andgenerating an action item in response to the voice command. The methodmay also include removing the action item when a caregiver responds tothe voice command. The voice command may be generated by a patient.

It is within the scope of this disclosure that the method may includetracking a location of a patient in the healthcare facility. The methodmay also include receiving a voice command inquiring about the locationof the patient, and responding to the voice command with the location ofthe patient.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communicationsystem for a healthcare facility includes a locating device associatedwith a user. A location monitoring system may be configured to track alocation of the locating device in the healthcare facility. Anelectronic controller may include a voice command database having aplurality of voice commands. The electronic controller may activate thevoice command database when the location monitoring system determinesthat the user is located in a patient room. A microphone may be locatedin the patient room to receive one of the plurality of voice commands.The electronic controller may transmit the one of the plurality of voicecommands to a remote device positioned outside of the patient room.

In some embodiments, the locating device may be worn by a caregiver andthe location monitoring system may determine the location of thecaregiver. The electronic controller may activate a voice commanddatabase having a plurality of voice commands associated with thecaregiver when the caregiver is determined to be in the patient room.The locating device may be worn by a patient and the location monitoringsystem may determine the location of the patient. The electroniccontroller may activate a voice command database having a plurality ofvoice commands associated with the patient when the patient isdetermined to be in the patient room.

It is contemplated by this disclosure that a vital signs monitor maymonitor vital signs of a patient in the patient room. A speaker maytransmit a warning notification to a caregiver when it is determinedthat a caregiver is in the patient room.

If desired, the electronic controller may track the voice commandtransmitted to the remote device and generate an action item in responseto the voice command. The action item may be removed when a caregiverresponds to the voice command.

If desired, the remote device may be located at a nurse's station.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communicationsystem for a healthcare facility may include a real time locating systemconfigured to track a location of a person in the healthcare facility.An electronic controller may be provided including a microphone toreceive voice commands from the person in the healthcare facility. Avoice command database may be provided having multiple commandlibraries. Each command library may be related to one of a plurality ofpeople in the healthcare facility. The voice command database may beelectronically coupled to the electronic controller to receive the voicecommands from the electronic controller. A device in the healthcarefacility may be electronically coupled to the voice command database.The device may be operated by the voice commands received at the voicecommand database.

In some embodiments, the command libraries may include a patient commandlibrary, a caregiver command library, a doctor command library, and ahousekeeper command library. A locating device may be worn by the personin the healthcare facility. The locating device may be worn by acaregiver and the voice command library may be a caregiver library. Thelocating device may be worn by a patient and the voice command librarymay be a patient library. The locating device may be worn by a doctorand the voice command library may be a doctor library. The locatingdevice may be worn by a housekeeper and the voice command library may bea housekeeper library.

It may be desired that the real time locating system determines if theperson in the healthcare facility is within a predetermined distancefrom the device. The voice commands may operate the device if the personis within the predetermined distance from the device. The voice commandsmay not operate the device if the person is not within the predetermineddistance from the device.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofoperating a device in a healthcare facility may include tracking alocation of a person in the healthcare facility. The method may alsoinclude receiving voice commands from the person in the healthcarefacility at a voice command database having multiple command libraries,wherein each command library is related to one of a plurality of peoplein the healthcare facility. The method may also include operating adevice in the healthcare facility based on the voice commands receivedat the voice command database if the person in the healthcare facilityis within a predetermined distance from the device.

In some embodiments, the command libraries may include a patient commandlibrary, a caregiver command library, a doctor command library, and ahousekeeper command library. The voice commands may not operate thedevice if the person is not within the predetermined distance from thedevice.

It may be desired that the method also includes locating a caregiver andactivating a caregiver library at the voice command database. The methodmay also include locating a patient and activating a patient library atthe voice command database. The method may also include locating adoctor and activating a doctor library at the voice command database.The method may also include locating a housekeeper and activating ahousekeeper library at the voice command database.

Additional features, which alone or in combination with any otherfeature(s), such as those listed above and/or those listed in theclaims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparentto those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode ofcarrying out the embodiments as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top plan view of patient rooms of a healthcarefacility showing a voice recognition system that receives voice commandsfrom users within a patient room;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of an electronic controller having a voice commanddatabase including a plurality of voice commands;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a routine for operating the voice commanddatabase;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of another embodiment of a healthcare managementsystem that may be used independently of the system shown in FIG. 1 orin combination with the system shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a screen shot of a graphical user interface in accordance withan embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a healthcare system 10 includes locating system 30to track the whereabouts of caregivers and patients in a health carefacility such as a hospital or nursing home includes mobile staff tags12 worn by staff members such as caregivers 14 and mobile patient tags16 worn by patients 18. As described in more detail below, various voicecommand databases are activated based on the whereabouts of patients 18and caregivers 14. Locating system 30 has a multitude of transceivers 20dispersed throughout patient rooms 22. System 10 includes a hub computer36 which is communicatively coupled to other hub computers 36 of system10 via a network 34 of the healthcare facility. In the illustrativeexample, system 10 is also communicatively coupled to other remotecomputers 32 of the healthcare facility. Such other remote computers 32include, for example, nurse call computers, electronic medical records(EMR) computers, admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) computers, and thelike. According to this disclosure, locating system 30 operates as ahigh-accuracy locating system which is able to determine the location ofeach tag 12, 16 in communication with the transceivers 20.

One example of a high-accuracy locating system contemplated by thisdisclosure is an ultra-wideband (UWB) locating system. UWB locatingsystems operate within the 3.1 gigahertz (GHz) to 10.6 GHz frequencyrange. Suitable transceivers 20 in this regard include WISER MeshAntenna Nodes and suitable tags 12, 16 in this regard include Minitracker tags, all of which are available from Wiser Systems, Inc. ofRaleigh, N.C. and marketed as the WISER LOCATOR™ system.

In some embodiments, locating system 30 uses 2-way ranging, clocksynchronization, and time difference of arrival (TDoA) techniques todetermine the locations of tags 12, 16 in the X and Y and, optionally, Zdimensions. See, for example, International Publication No. WO2017/083353 A1, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety for all that it teaches to the extent not inconsistent with thepresent disclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies, for adetailed discussion of the use of these techniques in a UWB locatingsystem. Using these techniques, distances between the stationarytransceivers 20 and the various mobile tags 12, 16 are determined basedon bidirectional wireless signals communicated between tags 12, 16 andtransceivers 20. For example, the distance from each transceiver 20 toany particular tag can be resolved onto the X-Y plane as a circle havinga radius equal to the distance and having its center at the particulartransceiver 20. The actual location of the mobile tag 12, 16 isdetermined based on the point of intersection of three or more of thecircles defined by radii from three or more corresponding transceivers20.

It should be appreciated that, unless a tag 12, 16 is midway between twotransceivers 20 on a straight line connecting the two transceivers 20(in which case the two circles generated will be tangent to each otherat a single point), then two circles that are generated from the twotransceivers 20 will intersect at two points such that a circlegenerated from a third transceiver is needed to determine which of thetwo points is the one corresponding to the location of the tag 12, 16.Generating fourth, fifth, sixth, etc. circles having other transceivers20 as their respective centers will further increase the accuracy ofdetermining the actual location of the particular tag 12, 16. Due tosmall errors introduced by refraction of the RF signal through solidobjects, including walls, people, equipment, etc., the three or morecircles in many instances will not intersect at exactly the same pointand so interpolation between clusters of circle intersections isperformed to arrive at the calculated location of the particular mobiletag 12, 16 of interest on the X-Y plane. These considerations arediscussed in International Publication No. WO 2017/083353 A1 which isalready incorporated by reference herein.

Tracking the locations of multiple mobile tags 12, 16 in substantiallyreal time using 2-way ranging, clock synchronization, TDoA, resolutionof circles onto the X-Y plane, and interpolating intersection pointclusters of the circles requires a large amount of computational powerby hub computers 36, 32 and/or the associated locating server 38. Thus,each hub computer 36, 32 receives incoming data from a predeterminednumber of transceivers 20. In the illustrative example of FIG. 1, hubcomputer 36 receives data from four transceivers 20. TDC AcquisitionHoldings, Inc. of Huntsville, Ala. which does business as Time Domain,makes a hub computer (referred to as the PLUS SynchronizationDistribution Panel) that is capable of receiving incoming data from upto 144 transceivers. The locating server or computer 36, in turn,receives data from the various hubs 36, 32 and tracks or monitors thelocations of tags 12, 16 in the healthcare facility.

The patient room 22 includes a patient support apparatus 40. The patientsupport apparatus 40 is illustrated as a bed; however, the patientsupport apparatus 40 may take the form of any apparatus for supporting apatient, e.g. a stretcher, a chair, a wheelchair, a bench, and so forth.The patient support apparatus 40 supports a patient thereon. A vitalsigns monitor 42 is positioned near and/or coupled to the patientsupport apparatus 40. The vital signs monitor 42 monitors vital signs ofthe patient 18, e.g. heartrate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, or thelike.

The system 10 includes electronic voice recognition devices 50configured to receive voice commands from persons with a patient room22. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic voice recognition devices50 may be positioned on the patient support apparatus 40, the vitalsigns monitor 42, or the hub computer 32. Alternatively, or in additionto, the electronic voice recognition devices 50 may be incorporated intothe patient tag 16. A voice recognition device 50 may also be embeddedin each staff tag 12. In some embodiments, the voice recognition device50 may be incorporated in the graphical room stations of a nurse callsystem.

Each voice recognition device 50 is in communication with the network 34and may be in communication with the real time locating system server38, an electronic medical record server 54, a nurse call station server56, or other servers 58. In the illustrative embodiment, a voice commandserver 60 includes libraries of commands, e.g. caregiver commands 62,patient commands 64, doctor commands 66, or housekeeping commands 68.The voice command server 60 may be pre-loaded with voice recognition torecognize various individual's voices. For example, a doctor or nurse,upon starting employment with the healthcare facility may have theirvoice recorded and linked to the respective doctor library or nurselibrary. Accordingly, when the doctor or nurse uses one of therespective doctor commands or nurse commands, their voice is recognizedby the voice command server 60. A housekeeper may also have their voicerecorded and linked to the housekeeper library. Additionally, uponadmittance to the healthcare facility, a patient may have their voicerecorded and linked to a patient library. In other embodiments, thepatient commands in the patient library are available to anyone so thata voice is not required to be recorded.

In some embodiments, the voice command server 60 is linked to the nursecall station server 56 so that any nurse can issue voice commands to thevoice command sever 60. That is, voice commands originated at the nursecall station are not required to be recognized since all commands areassumed to originate from a nurse. In some embodiments, the voicecommand server 60 is linked to the electronic medical record server 54so that all medical related commands are automatically recorded in thepatient's medical record. For example, if a nurse issues a command toadminister medication, the electronic medical record is updated toreflect that medication was requested. When the medication isadministered, the nurse can utilize the voice command server 60 toupdate the electronic medical record with the date, time, and dosage ofmedication. In some embodiments, the voice command server 60 is linkedto the real time locating system server 38 to activate various voicecommands. For example, a voice command to start an electrocardiogram mayonly be activated if a nurse or doctor is detected as being within apredetermined range, e.g. three feet, of the electrocardiogram. Asanother example, a voice command to control an intravenous drip may onlybe activated if the nurse or doctor is within a predetermined range ofthe intravenous drip.

In some embodiments, the voice command server 60 controls variousfunctions within the patient's room, e.g. entertainment system, lights,window shades, and bed controls. In such an embodiment, the voicecommand sever 60 may not be required to recognize a voice, but rathercan be activated by any voice. Additionally, some voice commands, e.g.room control commands, may be universal to the command databases. Thatis, some voice commands may be universal to doctors, nurses, patients,and housekeeping. Also, it may be desired to have additional voicecommand databases, e.g. administration database, family database, etc.

Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the electronic voice recognitiondevice 50 illustratively includes a control system 70 having a processor72, a memory 74, and a voice recognition module 76. The processor 72 maybe embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functionsdescribed herein. The processor 72 may be embodied as a dual-coreprocessor, a multi-core or multi-threaded processor, digital signalprocessor, microcontroller, or other processor or processing/controllingcircuit with multiple processor cores or other independent processingunits. The memory 74 may be embodied as any type of volatile ornon-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functionsdescribed herein. In operation, the memory 74 may store various data andsoftware used during operation of the electronic voice recognitiondevice 50 such as operating systems, applications, programs, libraries,and drivers. The memory 74 includes a plurality of instructions that,when read by the processor, cause the processor 72 to perform thefunctions described herein.

A data storage device 78 is provided that may be embodied as any type ofdevice or devices configured for short-term or long-term storage of datasuch as, for example, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, harddisk drives, solid-state drives, or other data storage devices. The datastorage device 78 includes a plurality of voice command databases, eachhaving a plurality of voice commands specific to an individual in thepatient room 22. A microphone 80 and speaker 82 are provided to enablecommunication between a user and the electronic voice recognition device50. The microphone 80 is configured to receive voice commands from auser and send an output signal to the processor 72. Based on the outputsignals, the processor 72 transmits a signal over a wireless transceiver88 indicative of the voice command. The wireless transceiver 88 may beembodied as any communication circuit, device, or collection thereof,capable of enabling wireless communications between the electronic voicerecognition device 50 and the remote computers 36 over the network 34.The wireless transceiver 88 may be configured to use any one or morecommunication technology and associated protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi®,Bluetooth®, WiMAX, etc.) to effect such communication. Alternatively, orin addition to, the electronic voice recognition device 50 may behardwired to the remote computers 36. In the illustrative embodiment,the remote computers 36 also include a data storage device 90 similar tothe data storage device 78 and including a plurality of voice commanddatabases, each having a plurality of voice commands specific to anindividual in the patient room 22.

The data storage devices 78, 90 include a patient voice command databaseincluding a plurality of voice commands specific to the patient 18. Forexample, the commands may include “need ice chips,” “need painmedication,” “need to use the restroom,” etc. Each voice command in thepatient voice command database is related to a request that may be madeby the patient. The data storage devices 78, 90 also include a caregivervoice command database including a plurality of voice commands specificto the caregiver 14. For example, the commands may include “administermedication,” “CPR,” “change bed,” etc. Other voice command databases maybe contemplated. For example, a housekeeper voice command database maybe provided that is specific to a housekeeper. In some embodiments,separate voice command databases may be provided for doctors and nurses.In some embodiments, a voice command database may be provided that isspecific to family members in the patient room 22.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates both data storage devices 78, 90, the system10 may operate with only the data storage device 78. That is, theprocessor 72, in response to the output signal from the microphone 80,is instructed to relate the output signal to a voice command in the datastorage device 78 and transmit a signal to the remote computer 36indicative of the voice command. In some embodiments, the system 10 mayoperate with only the data storage device 90. That is, the processor 72,in response to the output signal from the microphone 80, transmits theoutput signal to the remote computer 36. At the remote computer 36, aprocessor (not shown) of the remote computer 36 relates the outputsignal to a voice command in the data storage device 90. The remotecomputer 36 then activates a graphic or audible alert indicative of thevoice command.

Because the patient voice commands and the caregiver voice commands arespecific to the patient and the caregiver, respectively, the processor72 is only instructed to act on a voice command when a specific voicecommand database is activated by the system 10. For example, if thetransceivers 20 locate the patient tag 16 in the patient room 22, thepatient voice command database becomes activated. If the patient 18 isnot in the patient room 22, the patient voice command database isdeactivated to avoid false alerts to the caregivers 14. Likewise, if acaregiver 14 is in a patient room 22, the caregiver voice commanddatabase is activated. However, if the caregiver 14 is not in thepatient room 22, the caregiver voice command database is deactivated toavoid false alerts, e.g. improper administration of medication.

Referring to FIG. 3 a routine 120 is provided for activating voicecommands in the patient room 22. At block 122 the locating system 30determines whether a person is in the patient room 22 by transmittingsignals from the transceivers 20 throughout the patient room 22. Atblock 124, the transceivers 20 scan for return signals from the mobilepatient tags 16 to determine whether a patient 18 is in the patient room22. If the transceivers 20 do not receive a return signal from a mobilepatient tag 16, the system 10 continues to transmit signals throughoutthe patient room 22, at block 122. If the locating system 30 determinesthat a patient 18 is present in the patient room 22, the system 10determines whether any announcements exist that are related to thepatient 18, at block 126. The vital signs monitor 42 is consulted toprovide a summary of the patient's condition. By way of example, if thepatient's blood pressure is high, an announcement is prepared to alertthe caregiver 14 of the patient's blood pressure. In another example,the system 10 may determine through various sensors that the patient 18is at risk for developing pressure ulcers. In such a scenario, anannouncement is prepared to alert the caregiver 14 to turn the patient.In yet another example, the patient 18 may have requested ice chips. Thesystem 10 prepares an announcement to alert the caregiver 14 that icechips have been requested.

If announcements related to the patient exist, the system 10 determineswhether a caregiver 14 is in the patient room 22. At block 128, thetransceivers 20 scan for return signals from the mobile staff tags 12 todetermine whether a caregiver 14 is in the patient room 22. If thetransceivers 20 do not receive a return signal from the mobile stafftags 12, the system 10 stores the announcements related to the patientuntil a caregiver 14 enters the patient room 22, at block 130. If thetransceivers 20 receive a return signal from the mobile staff tag 12,indicating that a caregiver 14 is in the patient room 22, the system 10activates the announcements, at block 132. For example, theannouncements may be displayed on a screen of the hub computer 32.Alternatively, or in addition to, the speaker 82 may audibly alert thecaregiver 14 of the announcements. In some embodiments, theannouncements may be stored as action items on the hub computer 32 orremote computer 36. As the caregiver 14 attends to the announcements,the action items are cleared. For example, if the system 10 alerts thecaregiver 14 that the patient 18 needs to be turned, upon turning thepatient 18, the caregiver 14 can clear the action item. A date and timemay be stamped at the hub computer 32 or the remote computer 36indicating when the patient 18 was turned.

When the system 10 determines that a patient 18 is in the patient room22, the system 10 also activates, at block 150, the patient voicecommand database stored in at least one of data storage devices 78, 90.By activating the patient voice command database, the patient 18 ispermitted to use voice commands within the patient room 22. For example,the patient 18 may say, “turn on television.” The processor 72 of theelectronic voice recognition device 50 receives output signals from themicrophone 80 indicative of the voice command. Based on the outputsignal from the microphone 80, the processor 72 determines whether thevoice command recognized as a voice command in the patient voice commanddatabase, at block 152. If the voice command is not recognized, noaction is taken. If the voice command is recognized, the processor 72sends an output signal to the television, instructing the television toturn on.

In another example, the patient 18 may say, “need pain medication.” Ifthe processor 72 recognizes this command, the processor 72 sends anoutput signal to the remote computer 36, at block 154. The remotecomputer 36 receives the output signal and alerts the caregiver 14 ofthe patient request. For example, the remote computer 36 may provide avisual or audible alert to the caregiver 14. Alternatively, or inaddition to, the caregiver 14 may receive an alert through the mobilestaff tag 12. The caregiver 14 is instructed to administer medication tothe patient 18. In some embodiments, the instructions to administermedication may be stored as action items at the remote computer 36, thehub computer 32, or the mobile staff tag 12. When the caregiver 14attends to the patient's medication, the caregiver 14 can clear theaction item. In some embodiments, a date and time stamp is recorded whenthe action item is cleared.

At block 170, the transceivers 20 scan for output signals from a mobilestaff tag 12 to determine whether a caregiver 14 is in the patient room22. If a caregiver 14 is not in the patient room 22, the system 10continues to monitor for people in the patient room 22, at block 122. Ifan output signal is received by one of the transceivers 20 in thepatient room 22, the system determines that a caregiver 14 has enteredthe patient room 22. If a caregiver 14 is in the patient room 22, theprocessor 72 determines whether any announcements are stored for thecaregiver, at block 172. If an announcement is present, the system 10notifies the caregiver 14, at block 132. For example, if the patient 18requires turning the caregiver 14 is alerted to turn the patient 18. Thecaregiver 14 may be alerted audibly through the speaker 82.Alternatively, or in addition to, an action item may be populated in thehub computer 32. After the caregiver 14 attends to the patient, thecaregiver 14 clears the action item indicating that the patient has beenturned. A date and time stamp may be recorded to document when thepatient was turned.

At block 174, the processor 72 activates the caregiver voice commanddatabase. By activating the caregiver voice command database, caregiverspecific voice commands become operable. It may be desired that certaincaregiver voice commands are only operable when the caregiver 14 ispresent in the patient room 22. For example, the caregiver 14 may say,“administer pain medication.” The microphone 80 sends an output signalto the processor 72 indicative of this command. At block 176, theprocessor 72 determines whether the command is recognized. If thecommand is recognized, the processor 72, at block 178, sends an outputsignal to the remote computer 36 indicating that pain medication isrequired. A caregiver 14 at the remote computer 36 is then able toprepare the pain medication for administration. Because, the command isonly activated when the caregiver 14 is in the patient room 22, thepatient 18 is not capable of receiving pain medication without thecaregiver's knowledge. In another example, the caregiver 14 may say,“administer CPR.” Upon receiving this command at the remote computer 36,other caregivers 14 are alerted that CPR is required in the patient room22.

It should be noted that the voice commands may be recorded at one of thehub computer 32 or the remote computer 36. That is, a log may be kept ofall voice commands received by the system 10. The log may include bothpatient specific and caregiver specific voice commands. Additionally,the voice command database may include other specific voice commands.For example, the system 10 may include a housekeeping voice commanddatabase, a maintenance voice command database, or a family voicecommand database. The family voice command database may allow familymembers present in the patient room 22 to receive updates on thepatient's condition. For example, if the patient 18 is not currently inthe patient room 22, the family may be alerted as to the patient'slocation. In some embodiments, a family member may ask where the patientis. The family voice command database detects this inquiry and thesystem responds by identifying the location of the patient. Because eachof these voice command databases are specific to an individual and onlyoperable when that person is in the patient room, other persons areprohibited from utilizing commands that are not specific to them. Suchisolation of the voice command databases facilitates preventing misuseof the various voice commands.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a healthcare management system200 having an electronic voice recognition device 202. The electronicvoice recognition device 202 may be positioned on the patient support40. In another embodiment, the electronic voice recognition device 202is a pillow speaker at the patient support 40. In some embodiments, theelectronic voice recognition device 202 is positioned at a nurses callstation. The electronic voice recognition device 202 includes amicrophone 204 configured to receive voice commands. Control circuitry206 converts the voice commands into voice packets and transmits thevoice packets to voice recognition software 208. In some embodiments,the control circuitry 206 only transmits the voice packets if theelectronic voice recognition device 202 is within a predetermineddistance from a controllable device 220.

A remote device 230 is also in communication with the voice recognitionsoftware 208. The remote device 230 includes a microphone 232 to receivevoice commands. In some embodiments, the remote device 230 is a phone, atablet, or an audio station that may be operated by a caregiver ordoctor when caring for a patient. In some embodiments, the remote device230 is a patient device. The remote device 230 is configured to receivevoice commands from a user, e.g. caregiver, doctor, patient. The voicecommands are converted to voice packets by a control circuitry 234 ofthe remote device 230 and transmitted to the voice recognition software208.

The voice recognition software 208 includes a plurality of voice commandlibraries 222. For example, the voice command libraries 222 may includea patient library that is related to a patient electronic voicerecognition device 202. The voice command libraries 222 may include acaregiver library that is related to a caregiver voice recognitiondevice 202. The voice command libraries 222 may include a doctor librarythat is related to a doctor voice recognition device 202. The voicecommand libraries 222 may include a housekeeper library that is relatedto a housekeeper voice recognition device 202. The voice recognitionsoftware 208 is configured to recognize the voice of the individualproviding a voice command to the electronic voice recognition device 202and determine which voice command library is related to the voicecommand.

The voice recognition software 208 determines which controllable device220 is related to the voice command and converts the voice command intoa control signal that is transmitted to the controllable device 220,which includes control circuitry 224 to read the control signal. In someembodiments, the controllable device 220 may include the patient support40. Accordingly, the patient or caregiver may voice a command to theelectronic controller 220, e.g. “raise bed.” This command is deliveredto the voice recognition software, which, in turn, sends a controlsignal to the patient support 40 to raise the bed. Other commandsrelated to the patient support 40 may be contemplated. In someembodiments, the controllable device 220 may be a patient intravenousdrip. In such an embodiment, the caregiver or doctor may voice acommand, e.g. “start IV,” which is transmitted to the voice recognitionsoftware 208. The voice recognition software 208 then sends a commandsignal to the intravenous drip to start the IV. Other commands relatedto the intravenous drip may also be contemplated. In some embodiments,the controllable device 220 may include an electrocardiogram.Accordingly, the caregiver or doctor may voice a command, e.g. “startEKG,” which is transmitted as a voice packet to the voice recognitionsoftware 208. The voice recognition software 208 then transmits acommand signal to the electrocardiogram to start the electrocardiogram.In another embodiment, the controllable device 220 may be a room featurethe patient room, e.g. window blinds or lighting. Accordingly, thepatient, the doctor, the caregiver, or a housekeeper may voice acommand, e.g. “open blinds,” “close blinds,” “dim lights,” “turn onlights,” etc. The voice command is then sent to the voice recognitionsoftware 208 as a voice packet that is converted to a command signal tocontrol the controllable device 220. It should be appreciated that thevoice command software 208 may be capable of receiving voice commandsand sending command signals related to any device in the patient room.For example, the voice commands may be used to operate the entertainmentfeatures of the patient room, e.g. television, radio, etc., or othermedical apparatuses within the room, e.g. ventilator, oximeter, etc.

In some embodiments, the voice recognition software 208 converts thevoice packet to a command displayed at the nurse's station or otherremote device 36. For example, the doctor may voice a command, e.g.“increase [medication] to [dosage]” or “will need medication in fiveminutes.” The voice recognition software 208 then sends a control signalto the nurse's station to display the medication type and dosage.Accordingly, caregivers and doctors can communicate through the voicerecognition software 208 by sending voice commands that are displayedfrom other caregivers and/or doctors. In one embodiment, caregiversand/or doctors can communicate through the voice recognition software.For example, the caregiver and/or doctor may voice a command, e.g.“medication administered at [time]” or “patient on side for 30 minutes.”The other caregivers and doctors may then be alerted through the voicerecognition software 208. In some embodiments, the voice recognitionsoftware 208 sends command signals to an electronic medical record thatis updated based on the voice command.

In some embodiments, the electronic voice recognition device 202 is apillow speaker that monitors the sleep patterns of the patient. Forexample, the pillow speaker monitors for abnormal breathing and/orsnoring. If such abnormal breathing or snoring is detected, theelectronic voice recognition device 202 sends a control signal to thenurse's station indicating that the patient requires attention, e.g. thepatient needs to be turned. In some embodiments, vital signs are alsomonitored to determine whether the patient requires attention. The voicerecognition device 202 may also record sounds from the patient. Thesounds may be parsed for voice recognition to determine patientsatisfaction. That is, the voice recognition device 202 may monitor forkeywords from the patient to determine whether the patient iscomfortable. For example, patient complaints while the patient is in thepatient room may be recorded and delivered to a nurse's station tonotify the nurse that the patient is not satisfied with their care.

Referring to FIG. 5 a screen 240 may be displayed on the computers 32,36 and/or on the remote device 230. The screen 240 includes lists ofvoice commands that are available. For example, by selecting a caregiverlist 242, a plurality of voice commands 244 available to the caregiveris displayed. Other lists that may be displayed include a doctor list, apatient list, a housekeeper list, etc. The lists may be displayedautomatically in response to the respective caregiver being detected inthe room by locating system 30 or detected within a threshold proximity(e.g. 3 feet) of the computer 32, 36 or device 230. Displaying lists ofvoice commands that are available to the caregiver(s) in the room ishelpful if there are many available voice commands because caregiversmay not remember all of them otherwise.

Although this disclosure refers to specific embodiments, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form anddetail may be made without departing from the subject matter set forthin the accompanying claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of providing communication in ahealthcare facility, the method comprising: determining with a locationdevice whether one of a plurality of people is in a patient room,activating a voice command database having a plurality of commandlibraries, wherein each of the plurality of command libraries includes aplurality of voice commands specific to one of the plurality of peoplein the patient room, receiving one of the plurality of voice commands atan electronic device located in the patient room, and transmitting theone of the plurality of voice commands to a remote device positionedoutside of the patient room.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein one ofthe plurality of people in the patient room is a caregiver, andactivating a voice command database includes activating one of theplurality of command libraries having a plurality of voice commandsspecific to the caregiver.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of theplurality of people in the patient room is a patient and activating avoice command database includes activating one of the plurality ofcommand libraries having a plurality of voice commands specific to thepatient.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring vitalsigns of a patient in the patient room.
 5. The method of claim 4,further comprising transmitting a notification to a caregiver when it isdetermined that a caregiver is in the patient room.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: tracking the voice command transmitted tothe remote device, and generating an action item in response to thevoice command.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising removing theaction item when a caregiver responds to the voice command.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the voice command is generated by a patient.9. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking a location of apatient in the healthcare facility.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: receiving a voice command inquiring about the location ofthe patient, and responding to the voice command with the location ofthe patient.
 11. A communication system for a healthcare facilitycomprising: a locating device associated with one of a plurality ofusers, a location monitoring system configured to track a location ofthe locating device in the healthcare facility, an electronic controllerincluding a voice command database having a plurality of commandlibraries, wherein each of the plurality of command libraries includes aplurality of voice commands specific to one of the plurality of users,wherein, when the location monitoring system determines that one of theplurality of users is located in a patient room, the electroniccontroller activates the one of the plurality of command librariesspecific to the one of the plurality of users located in the patientroom, and a microphone located in the patient room to receive one of theplurality of voice commands, wherein the electronic controller transmitsthe one of the plurality of voice commands to a remote device positionedoutside of the patient room.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thelocating device is worn by a caregiver and the location monitoringsystem determines the location of the caregiver.
 13. The system of claim12, wherein the electronic controller activates a one of the pluralityof command libraries having a plurality of voice commands associatedwith the caregiver when the caregiver is determined to be in the patientroom.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the locating device is worn bya patient and the location monitoring system determines the location ofthe patient.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electroniccontroller activates a one of the plurality of command libraries havinga plurality of voice commands associated with the patient when thepatient is determined to be in the patient room.
 16. The system of claim11, further comprising a vital signs monitor to monitor vital signs of apatient in the patient room.
 17. The system of claim 16, furthercomprising a speaker to transmit a notification to a caregiver when itis determined that a caregiver is in the patient room.
 18. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the electronic controller tracks the voice commandtransmitted to the remote device and generates an action item inresponse to the voice command.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein theaction item is removed when a caregiver responds to the voice command.20. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote device is located at anurse's station.